Ottoman Latakia on foot: from the Sheikh al-Maghribi Mosque to the Hamidiye Serail

This walk follows Ottoman Latakia from the 18th century to 1905, from the old seat of government on the Citadel hill to the new government house. It starts at the Sheikh al-Maghribi Mosque, founded in 1827 over the grave of a Moroccan scholar. Then come two mosques built in 1727 by the same governor, Suleiman Pasha al-Azm: the Al-Uwayna and the Al-Jadid. After Khan al-Hinta, the wheat inn with Roman columns along its front, and the Al-Bazar Mosque with its inscriptions of 1824–1825, the walk ends outside the Hamidiye Serail, where the administration moved when it left the Citadel quarter. Six stops, about 1400 metres on foot, three hours.

The route

The Sheikh al-Maghribi Mosque is in the Qala’a quarter, on the south-facing end of the hill. A staircase of 82 steps climbs to the main entrance on the west. If you would rather skip the climb, use the east entrance, reached from the south by 17 steps. Right beside the mosque is the Citadel Gate, Bab al-Qala’a, the only piece still standing of Latakia’s three castles. Come down the hill and walk into the Uwayna quarter: the Al-Uwayna Mosque is about 400 metres on, north of the old market area. Asking for the mosque by name works faster than looking for street signs. The Al-Jadid Mosque is a few streets away, about 300 metres, north of Ghafiqi Street; its minaret, close to 40 metres tall, shows above the surrounding lanes. Khan al-Hinta is one street west of the mosque, across Balat al-Shuhada lane, with its south front running along Ghafiqi Street. From the khan walk west into the market: the Al-Bazar Mosque is about 150 metres on, some 200 metres west of the Al-Jadid. The last leg also goes west, into al-Kamiliyah. The Hamidiye Serail is about 400 metres on, on 18 March Street, opposite the Spanish consulate.

Timing

Be on the steps of the Sheikh al-Maghribi Mosque at 09:00; in the morning the west staircase is in shade and the courtyard is empty. Muhammad al-Maghribi was born in Morocco in 1764, taught in Latakia and died of plague in 1827. Add up the letter values of the second line of verse on the marble inscription and you get the Hijri year 1242. The hollowed-out Corinthian capital beside the pool is the mouth of a cistern. The twelve-sided minaret was brought down by lightning in 1909 and rebuilt. Allow forty-five minutes for the courtyard, prayer hall and tomb chamber. At 10:00, the Al-Uwayna Mosque. Clay jars were set into the dome to lighten it, and the rain spouts carry a tulip motif. The east door was set at a deliberate angle to the wall: its shadow marked the time of the noon prayer. Twenty minutes. At 10:30, the Al-Jadid Mosque. Same governor, same year, same shadow-door idea, this time on the west and east doors. Nine domes cover the prayer hall, and the Corinthian capitals on its four basalt columns are Roman pieces gathered from around the city. The south-west column is called the Maghribi column: the sheikh buried at the walk’s first stop taught at its foot. Half an hour. At 11:10, Khan al-Hinta. Its name appears in an Ottoman document of 1726, and a document of 1907 calls it the New Khan. The 13 granite columns on its south front belonged to the colonnade of Roman Laodicea’s main street, and they still stand where they were raised. Fifteen minutes. At 11:30, the Al-Bazar Mosque. The inscriptions over the doors give 1824–1825 but do not name the builder. In 1899–1900 it was merged with the neighbouring Al-Omari Mosque into a single prayer hall, and the dome seen in a photograph of 1859 was removed at that time. Twenty minutes. At 12:00 you stand on the pavement opposite the Hamidiye Serail. The district governor, Shukri Pasha al-Ayyubi, built it in 1905 and moved the government offices here from the old serail in the Citadel quarter. The walk traces the same route the administration took. Ten minutes for the clock pediment over the entrance.

Take care

The Hamidiye Serail is a working provincial police headquarters and closed to visitors inside; at the end of 2025 it was under repair. Look at it only from the opposite pavement of 18 March Street, and ask the guard before taking photos. Inside, Khan al-Hinta is a working metal store: ask before stepping into the courtyard, and give way when loads are moving. The current state and hours of the Al-Uwayna and Al-Bazar mosques are not confirmed; if a door is shut, look at the walls and the inscriptions over the doors from outside. All four mosques are places of worship: arms and legs covered, a headscarf for women, and no entry to the prayer hall during prayers. Keep that in mind at the Al-Jadid and Al-Bazar as the noon call approaches. The dome over the Al-Jadid’s ablution fountain is cracked, so do not linger under it. At the Sheikh al-Maghribi Mosque the courtyard is packed on the last Friday of Ramadan, when a relic is shown; pick another day for a quiet visit. The Sheikh al-Maghribi, Al-Uwayna and Al-Jadid mosques and the front of Khan al-Hinta are free; check at the door for the Al-Bazar Mosque. Since the events on the coast in March 2025, conditions in the city centre can change, so check the current situation with local sources before you set out.